Arsenal have been hit with fresh competition for Bayer Leverkusen’s Ibrahim Maza, with Paris Saint-Germain now weighing up a January move for the 20-year-old Algeria international.
Maza has been on Arsenal‘s radar after a big rise in Germany, and several Premier League clubs have been keeping tabs on him. The problem for Mikel Arteta is that the French champions have suddenly found a reason to act fast.
According to TEAMtalk, as reported by Sports Mole, PSG have added Maza to their list of possible winter targets after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
Why PSG have joined the Ibrahim Maza race
Losing Kvaratskhelia for the rest of the campaign has forced the Ligue 1 giants to look at whether they need more attacking options in January. Maza is one of the names on that list.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur had already been tracking the youngster, while Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa are also understood to have watched his progress. That is a crowded queue for a player who only finished his first full season at Leverkusen last term.
A “real talent” in the making
Maza’s technical ability, creativity and versatility have made him one of the most intriguing young attackers in German football. Toni Leistner, his former teammate and captain at Hertha, once described him as “a real talent”.
Ibrahim Maza transfer fee: will Leverkusen sell for £60m?
Prising him away will not be easy. Bayer Leverkusen are reportedly determined to keep the midfielder, especially with the club chasing a top-four finish, and are ready to offer him a lucrative new contract.
Previous reports suggested Leverkusen would only discuss a sale for a fee in the region of €70m (£60m). That would make any January deal an expensive one, and a big outlay for a player who has yet to prove himself outside Germany.
Arsenal and PSG: a familiar transfer rivalry
The Gunners know how PSG can muddy the waters. The French club competed with Arsenal for Julian Alvarez, a chase in which Arteta even picked up the phone himself, only for the striker to stay at Atletico Madrid in the summer.
PSG are also the side that beat Arteta’s men in the 2026 Champions League final, and they have already told Arsenal that one of their young French stars is not for sale. Now they could stand between N5 and another highly rated attacking target.
Is Ibrahim Maza the right signing for Arsenal?
I can see the appeal. Maza’s versatility would give Arteta more flexibility across the front line, and at 20 there is plenty of room for him to grow. Even club legend Nigel Winterburn has admitted the Gunners still need another attacker after the summer window.
But £60m is a serious price for potential, and Leverkusen are in no mood to sell midway through a season. PSG’s need to replace Kvaratskhelia gives them a clear reason to move quickly, and their financial muscle makes them a tough rival.
If Arsenal decide Maza is their man, they will have to be decisive. Otherwise, PSG could once again derail a pursuit of one of Europe’s brightest young attackers.
